Beet harvester



3 Sheets-Sheet l GNN um,

May 1, 1928.

w. H. KOPITKE ET 1.

BEET HARVESTER Filed Dec. 51, 1923 May l, 1928.

w. H. KOPITKE ET AL.

BEET HARVESTER Filed Dec. 31. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet? gmwtw W www@ dimm Patented May 1, 1928.

UNITED STATES ATi-:NT OFFICE.

` WILLIAM H.' KGPITKE ANI) HENRY C. RONFELDT, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOBS, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO 'THE FANGER BEET HARVESTER COHPNY, A CORPORA- TION 0F OHIO.

naar i HARVESTER.

Application led December 3i, 1923. Serial No. 683,795.

The present invention is illustrated by beet harvesting machines of a type which have two revolving angers, mounted on digger arms, the lower ends of whichextend beneath the surface of the ground, but is Anot limited to such an arrangement. In our co-pending applications Serial Number 425,- 321, filed November 20th, 1920, Serial Num- 530,125, led- January 18th, 1922, and Serial Number 614,383, filed January 23rd, 1923, Such a digging arrangement'is shown and described in connection with a topping Aelement which tops thebeets before they are nrinvention ,has for its object to cure the defects in prior Vty es of angers and to provide simple and egicient `means for lifting, cleaning and conve-ying beets.

The further object of our invention is to provide af pair of angers for lifting beets that will allow the distance between the `front ends thereof to be narrowed as necessary andstill maintain a suitable working distance between the angers from front to rear. i

The fnrtherobjectof our inventlon 1s to provide means for diggingbeets that will lift them without breaking or bruising them and. that will clean them without breaking,

bruising or smearing them.

The further object of our invention is to provide in connection with open spaces at the sides of the angers to disposeof the dirt raised with the beets, suitable means to retain the beets between the angers.

The further object of our invention is to provide threads on the angers that will be most eicient in digging beets. Y

The further objectief our `invention is to `provide angers to dig and convey beets that will allow the beets to ride evenly over the full length of the angers.

The invention also has the object of regulati-ng thedistance between the end bearings of the angers `so that they can be kept in snug condition without end-pressure.

The invention hasv for its objects other features and advantages which will appear from the following description and upon examination of the drawings. i. r

yThe yinvention may be contained in structures of different `forms. To illustrate a .practical application of the invention, we

`have selected the structure containin the invention, as an example of the di erent structures that embody the invention, and shall hereinafter describe the one selected. 'lrhe structure referredto is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side view of the angers and digging and conveying mechanism, mounted in ay sub-frame and attached to a suitable tractor, the left wheel of the tractor being removed.

Figure- 2 is a top view of the same, omitting the topping element located at the right sident' the digging element.

`Figure is a front view of thelower ends ofthedig'ger arms and the angers, showing the cross bolt for adjusting the distance between them.A

Figure et is a cross section on the line AA of the upper end of the inside anger, showing the power mechanism for driving the angers.

Figure 5 is a cross section of the bearing yat the lower end of one of the angers.

lsub-frame in turn is mounted `on a main frame with side members 37 and 38 pivot- 'a-lly attached to the rear axle housing of a suitable tractor at 69 and 70` The angers l and 2 are mounted with their upper ends in bearings 3 and 4 and with their lower ends in bearings 5 and 6.

Bearings 5 and 6 are ball and socket bearings, the balls 68 and 69 extending from digger arms 19 and 20, respectively, into the small ends of Vthe angers 1 and 2, respectively. The digger arms 19 and 20 are attached at their upper ends to cross member 2l. They are pivoted at a point intermediate to their ends at 22 and 23 to sub-frame members 24 and 25 bybolts 26`and 27 respectively and are braced rearwardly by members 39 and 40 pivotally `fastened to them and adjnstabl'y connected to side members 24 and 25, respectively. Sub-frame members 24 and 25 are fastened at their 'rearward ends to brackets 28 and 29, which are fasteneclat 3() and 31, respectively, on the member 32 which snpportsjthe upper ends of the angers `1 and 2, and which is ,itself Pivotally supported by the main frame members 37 and 38 by brackets 90 and 91.

The front end of the sub-frame is raised and lowered by links 70 and 71 and arms 79 and 80. which are moved around the shaft 34 through member S1 and link 82 by lever 3G attached to the main frame member 37. The upper ends of digger arms 19 and 2O and the lower end of the sub-trame 24 and 25 are 4held fixed against lateral movement by members 37 and 38 of the main frame between which the npper assembly of digger arms 19 and 2O slide when the sub-frame is raised and lowered.

The side members of the sub-frame 24 and are laterally spaced by tie-rod 47, which holds digger arms 19 and 20 in fixed lateral relation. Tie-rod 47 ils threaded for a corr siderable distance at each end. Nuts 48 and 49 are located on the tie-rod 47, one on each side of side member 2st.' Nuts 5t) and 5] are located on the tie-rod 4.7. one on each side of the side member As these nuts are moved with relation to the ends of tie-rod 17, they may be locked in place against the side members and As the nuts and side members are moved toward the ends of` tie-rod 47, the digger arms 19 and 20, and consequently the digger points and 4.6 and the lower' endsot the angers 1 and 2 are separated from one another. As these nuts or side members are moved toward the center of the tie-rod 47, the reverse takes place.

Ylt has been found in prior auger arrangements that any attempt to space the digger arms by connections directly between the same above the digger points, results in the (lll clogging of the space between them and ot' the belt mechanism at that point, by the large quantity ot dirt that is raised. effecting the adjustment at a point beyond that where the dirt has an opportunity to work out, as in the invention illustrated, this ditliculty is obviated.

Brace members 39 and 4() are pivoted at their forward ends at 74 and 75 respectively. Their rear ends are widened where they connect with side members 24 and 25, and holes 4l to lil and 41. to 44 respectively are drilled across the rear ends of the members at ditlerent distances from points 7 4 and 75, respectively. Bolts 52 and 53 are respectively inserted through holes in side menr bers 24 and and also through one of said holes selected respectively in 39 and 40. .-\s the attachments of members 39 and 40 are varied at their rearward ends. digger arms 19 and 20 may be drawn respectively against the lower ends of angers 1 and 2 and held snugly in their bearings. That hole is selected for bolts 52 and 53 in the rear end of members 39 and 40 to secure the proper adjustment. These bolts are then` locked in place by nuts/t and 55. `In this way'the By f angers are held by adjustable means without subjecting them to an end pressure which experience has shown will quickly wear ont their bearings.

'lhe angers are power driven by chain and sprocket through the shaft 7. The inside or right auger is driven by bevelled 'gears 8 and 9, as shown in 4Figure 4. The other auger is driven similarly by the opposite end of shaft 7. These angers have right and left threads 56 and 57 respectively. Anger 1 revolves from right to left and theauger 2 from left to right, so that the angers hold the beet upright between them and stroke it upward from either side as the threads carry it up and back intok the hopper 77 disposed to the rear of the angers. lVhile the beet rides between the angers, it is kept from umping 'trom one side to the other by rods 14 and 1 5, and is kept from jumping out on top by the belt or web 67, which is mounted on4 shafts 16 and 17 and power driven by chain and sprocket. V This belt or web runs lengthwise over the space between the angers, its lower reach travelling up and back over the angers. slightly above the angers by the idler 18.`

Angers 1 and 2 are replicas of each other except that the threads thereon run in opposite directions. The type of anger used is smaller at the front end and has a straight tapered cone-shaped body with a narrow but well-rounded, raised thread thereon, so that the space between the angers is at all times represented, except for the narrow ridge of the threads, by two straight lines'which are respectively the main portions of the angers. There is with these improvements a minimum contact between the angers and the beets and this prevents the beets from being bruised by the threads or from being smeared with mnd by them when the ground is wet.

lVhile the digging and conveying of beets by angers is not new, it was not until theinvention ofthe improvements described herein that a. satisfactory result was obtained. The ordinary gimlet type threadv bruises the beets, and the pointing of theV auger near the frontend tends to spread thc distance between the front ends ofthe angers too far to engage all sizes of beets. Means to adjust the distance between the front ends of the angers was not snflicient to cure this defect because the closing the front ends, too nearly closed the space between the middle portions of the angers. Any rapid narrowing of the space between the angers moreover, causes the beets to jump out from between them. This is true even in the intervals between the threads. The problems of (ligging beets by angers were not, therefore, solved without providing as uniform a space as possible between the whole length ofthe angers and reducing the root of the threads extending therein to the minimum, Experience has The belt or web 67 is held taut shown thiseonstrnction more efficiently lifts and conveys beets of all sizes andV does it without throwing them ont, breaking, bruising or smearing them` i The threadstG and 57 respectively run from end to end of the angers. Each auger has in addition at? its lower end, another thread 58 and 59 respectively spaced inside thefirst thread and runnin" only part way` up the angers, so that each' anger has' a double lead atits lower or smaller end and begins lifting the beet the moment contact is Iliade with it in the ground., greatly reducing the chance of breaking the beet oit' while it is being dug. i o o 1 The angers revolve outwardly and throw the dirt that rises with the beets ont to the sides. To prevent the beets from following the dirt over the angers, rods 14 and 15 are positioned over the angers on each side of the sub-frame, the lower ends thereofbeing fastened in the digger arms 19 and 20 at G2 and 63, respectively, andthe upper ends thereof being fastened in the side members of the sub-frame 24 and 25 at 65 and 66, respectively. These rods are slightly above the angers and a little to each side of the space between them so that the beets as they ride up the angers and arebeing cleaned of dirt are kept from jumping out of the open space at the sides bet-Ween the angers and the belt or web over them. The belt or web 67 is equipped with teeth as at 7 6 to aid in carrying the beets up the angers.

The beets are raised by digger points 45 and 46 fastened on digger arms 19 and 20, assisted by angers 1 and 2 and threads 56 to 59. They are then conveyed back and up the angers by these threads assisted by the web 67 into the hopper 77 from which they are dumped in windrows. As the beets ride np the angers, the dirt dug with them isA separated from them in large quantities and works through the open spaces at the sides between the angers and the web.

Having thus described our invention., that which we claim as new and desire tosecnre by Letters Patent is,

1. In a mechanism for removing beets from the ground, a framehaving side members, two digger arms connected to said side members and extending downward, a pair of revolving angers supported by the lower ends of said digger arms and extending rearwardly therefrom, and means to vary the distance between the side members o said frame to regulate the distance between the front ends of said angers. i

Q. A mechanism for removing beets from the ground, comprising two tapered angers mounted side by side, their smaller ends extending forward and diagonally` down and entering the ground, a moving belt coacting with said angers to convey beets along said angers, and means above the lower reach of saidbelt and tothe rearfof` said ends, for.

the front ends i varying the distance between Ofsa'id angers. i

3. In a beet digging digger arms, a5 pair of nards fastened thereto, and means interme iate the ends of said guards for varying the width respectively between said `digger arms and said guards. o i i 4.Ina beet digger, apairi of digger arms, a pairof revolving angers mounted thereon and a pair of guards fastened thereto, `and means :intermediate the ends of said guards for varying the width respectively between saidangers and said guards.

5. In a beet harvester, a pair of angers for conveying beets upwardly and rearwardly comprising elongated cone shaped bodies having straight sides, a narrow well rounded raised thread thereon, a second thread spaced inside the first thread at the lower and smaller end of the auger forming a double thread running only part `way up the anger, the double thread serving to lift the beets ont of the ground, and the single thread serving to convey the beets.

6. In a beet harvester, in` combination, a frame, a pair of digger arms carried by said frame, a pair of auffers journaled in said digger arms, an endless belt mounted in said frame above the augersand a. rod carried by said digger arms and said frame at each side of the angers between the angers and the belt, said rod retaining the beets but permitting the free escape of dirt.

7 In a beet harvester, a vehieleframe, a

snbtrame pivoted thereto, comprising sidev members and a pair of digger arms, a pair 'of inclined angers jonrnaled on said digger arms, an endless belt mounted between said side members above said angers, means for adjusting said subframe about its pivot, and means for adjusting said digger arms with respect to said side members.

8. In a beet harvestena vehicle frame, a

'snbframe comprising side members pivoted thereto, a pair of digger arms carried by said side members, a pair of inclined an ers jonrnaled in said digger arms, an en less belt mounted above said angers and cooperating therewith to convey beets upwardly and rearwardly, rods secured to each digger arm between the angers and the belt, and means for adjusting the distance between the front ends of the side members, whereb f the digger arms, angers and rods will be `a justed laterally and maintain their vertical relations.

9. In a beet harvester, in combination, a main vehicle frame, a snbframe pivoted thereto comprising side members, a pair of digger arms carried by said side members and having fixed digger points, a pair of angers jonrnaled insaid digger arms and mounted. on the pivot of said snbframe,

mechanism, af pair of means for adjustin the lateral distance between the front en s of said side members, whereby said digger points and augers are adjusted, a beltv mounted between said side n members above the angers, means for retaining the distance between said angers, whereby the bars may maintain their parallel relation with respect to said augers.-

11. In a beet digger, a frame, a pair of digger arms pivoted therein, angers supported by bearings at their lower ends, bearings for their upper ends supported by the frame, and means for regulating the distance between the end bearings of each auger so that they can be kept in snug condition without end pressure, comprising an element adapted to be selectively positioned in any one of a series of separate spaced holes.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto signed our names to this Specification.

WILLIAM H. KOPITKE. HENRY C. RONFELDT. 

